Inside YourHead

I had the pleasure of contacting Isaiah of YourHead with some questions about RapidWeaver plugin development. YourHead has been a staple in the RapidWeaver development community over the past 2 years, and has just released a Public Beta of its newest plugin, Kwix, which is sure to be another great success in the tradition of YourHead offerings. Enjoy!

RapidWeaved: Last month you celebrated 2 years of developing for RapidWeaver. What's been the best part for you?

YourHead: I think my favorite thing is when I bump into a random web page generated with one of my plugins while browsing. I really enjoy seeing what people build with my tools.

RapidWeaved: If you had to choose, which YourHead plugin would be your favorite?

YourHead: Oh, that's easy, Collage. It was my first plugin, and the plugin that I needed myself. Plus I like its simplicity.

RapidWeaved: Which plugin has been the most difficult to develop?

YourHead: Blocks is by far the largest, most complex, and most time consuming. I've spent more time on single pieces of the Blocks interface code than on whole other plugins.

RapidWeaved: What factors come into play as you consider a new plugin idea?

YourHead: I like things that will have a wide appeal to a variety of websites. I really like that the base plugins that come with RapidWeaver aren't targeted at one specific type of web page and I like to make things that further that tradition.

RapidWeaved: Blocks is, in my opinion, the most indispensable of all 3rd-party RapidWeaver plugins. Has there ever been a conversation about including it in the RW package?

YourHead: I think for one single day you could buy a RapidWeaver and Blocks package deal. It didn't last very long, mostly just for logistical reasons. I think things will remain that way for a while yet. But I work very closely with the RealMacSoftware guys, now. More closely all the time.

RapidWeaved: You partnered with yabdab to create PayLoom, perhaps the most widely-requested plugin. How did that partnership come about?

YourHead: I met Mike at a MacWorld right after releasing Collage. He had been asking some questions about plugin development while working on PayLoom. At some point, I'm not sure I remember how, we decided it would be fun to team up. I think Mike figured it would get to market a bit faster with me on board and I figured that the first e-commerce plugin was pretty important and I wanted to be a part of it. It was fun and our skill sets complimented each other. It definitely sped things along.

RapidWeaved: Your newest plugin, Kwix, is now in Public Beta. How has the response been so far compared to previous releases?

YourHead: Very positive. Lots of downloads so far. I'm already surprised at the wild things people have done with it.

RapidWeaved: Kwix won't replace a theme's menu "out-of-the-box," but do you foresee that as a possibility in the future?

YourHead: Plugins really only change the "content" area -- so it's not possible for a traditional plugin. But Javascript makes nearly anything possible -- so you never know.

RapidWeaved: Any comments on what might be in-store for YourHead in 2008?

YourHead: I think RapidWeaver 4.0 will bring big changes to everyone. I don't really have any inside info, but I think that will be the biggest news of 2008.

RapidWeaved: Last question. Steven Seagal or Chuck Norris?

YourHead: Another easy question. Answer: Bruce Lee, of course.